Senator and Soldier

Uncharted Course

    "Good. How are they?"

    "Not too good. Mairin has gotten worse since you left and Riyo..." he paused. "They think Asha gave her a second dose of the poison right before you got to her."

    They entered a lift and went down several levels. It opened up to a serene hallway. Archer led him towards a set of rooms. The same dark skinned woman from earlier was there, bent over Mairin. Jairo was sitting beside her, with his head laying on the bed next to her arm. Fox could tell he was asleep by his breathing.

    Archer pointed to the adjoining room. Fox made his way towards Riyo. He loosed a shuddering breath at the sight of her. The grayness of her skin had only solidified and her lips and chin were stained purple. Her breath rattled within her chest. Fox removed his helmet and set it down.

    He moved towards Riyo and took her hand in his own. Fox rubbed his forehead with his free hand, feeling overrun by thoughts and emotions. After a few minutes, the healer entered. "I've done what I can to make them comfortable," she said. Her accent was strange and unfamiliar to him.

    Fox glanced up at her. She gave him a kind smile, although her large brown eyes were sympathetic. She wore her curly black hair pulled back in a braid and her outfit was shades of red and purple. It seemed tribal, somehow. He wasn't familiar with the style, though.

    "Thank you. I tried to find out what kind of poison was used, but it didn't work out," Fox replied.

    A contemplative look crossed her face. "The poison used won't be found on any Republic or Separatist databank."

    "Do you know what it is?" He gave her a hopeful look.

    She pursed her lips and sighed. "Yes, I know what it is."

    Fox let go of Riyo's hand and jumped to his feet. "You know how to cure it, then."

    She shook her head. "I can't cure it here. The antidote only exists on my home planet. That is where the poison originated."

    Fox gave her a prompting look. "What do we have to do?"

    She fixed a stern glare on him. "You must do exactly as I say, no questions asked." He nodded. "We will tell the Jedi that we are taking them to Kamino and that we will alert the Kaminoans on our way. We'll say that we will update them as soon as something changes. Oh, and my name is Tilieu."

    Tilieu returned to Mairin's room and established a communication. Archer shook Jairo awake. Tilieu returned after a moment. They waited for her to give them instructions.

    "You and the silent one will come with me," Tilieu said to Fox. "We'll take my personal ship." She faced Archer. "We'll be back in two days, for sure. I'll have them keep in contact with you or your other friend." Archer nodded. Tilieu began explaining how to secure Mairin and Riyo to their hovers and move them towards the ship.

    They quickly obeyed and were soon on their way to a landing pad. Archer walked next to Jairo. "Will you be all right?" He asked. Jairo nodded, silent as ever.

    They reached Tilieu's ship and boarded quickly. Fox activated the gravity wells on the hovers. They would hold the floating cots in place during the flight. "Tell Clay what's going on. I'll keep in touch," Fox called. Archer tipped two fingers towards him as he closed the boarding ramp. He joined Jairo and Tilieu in the cockpit and they were soon on their way.

    As soon as they cleared the atmosphere, they made the jump to hyperspace. Fox eyed their chosen coordinates, confused. "There's not a planet there."

    "Not on any star map," Tilieu agreed. "My home planet is mostly unknown to the galaxy."

    "Where are we going, exactly?"

    "Junalli," she said at last. "It's a planet within the Unknown Regions. There are two very skilled healers there who will be able to help your friends."

    Jairo removed his helmet and set it down. Fox mimicked him shortly. "What poison was used, exactly?"

    "My people call it shadowbane. The poison is made from the seeds of a certain plant. The seeds can be roasted and ground into a powder. When consumed, they cause the victim's skin to turn gray, like a shadow. Something in the poison also thickens the liquids within the body. The body tries to reject it, which makes the thick purple substance they keep throwing up," Tilieu explained. "I'm honestly amazed they haven't died already. Sorry for my bluntness."

    "Do you know the cure?" Fox asked.

    She nodded. "The roots of the plant are the cure to the poison in the seeds."

    "Will it work?" He glanced back towards Riyo.

    "If we get there soon enough, yes. Otherwise, they'll die before the next sunrise."

    Jairo released a sharp breath and buried his face in his palms. Fox placed a hand on his shoulder, tentatively. "We'll do what we can," he promised.

    "I've heard stories about you," Tilieu said. "They call you a Silent Ghost. No one really knows what happened to you, other than a few, but people like to talk. Some say the Kaminoans experimented on you. Others say you did it to yourself. Mostly, people agree that you hide from the world."

    Jairo met her stare, finally. "What do you think?"

    "So the Silent Ghost can talk," she laughed. Tilieu watched him a moment longer. "I think you hide from yourself. You don't like to show your face or speak because it reminds you of something that you want to forget. But do you know what else I think?" Jairo titled his head. "I think she," Tilieu gestured towards Mairin, "is helping you overcome that. We cannot erase our pasts or the choices and mistakes that were made, but we can learn from them. Learn to view your scars as marks of your growth, not as marks of your failure. Accept what happened, then move on."

    Jairo leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He nodded after a moment. "Of course, that's not to say that you should become a loud mouth or something. You do have a mysterious persona to uphold now," Tilieu chuckled again. The navicomputer began beeping shortly. "We're here."

    She deactivated the hyperdrive and they dropped out before a large green planet. Storm clouds filled the atmosphere and poured rain down onto the surface. Fox saw several massive bodies of water below them, and equally large trees covered every inch of the land.

    His eyes widened in shock, spying a few creatures moving around below them. They were huge squid-like beasts, with curled shells on their backs. Clawed feet carried them on the land and tentacles propelled them through the water. They each had one large beady eye.

    "Those are Pteulj, coveted for their shells and meat," Tilieu explained. "They like to roam around during the rainy season at the end and beginning of the year. You'll likely see a lot of them."

    "As long as I don't have to meet them," he said finally.

    Tilieu simply smirked. "Welcome to Junalli."